I am a big promoter of eating locally grown, whole foods. It benefits our economy, which is pretty weak in the Western New York region. It benefits our environment, by limiting the amount of petroleum-based fuel used in transport. And, mostly, it benefits our health. Foods that are grown close to home can stay connected to the earth longer, reaping more nutrients and minerals from it.

If we are discussing conventionally grown produce, they also don’t have to be chemically ripened, nor do they have to be grown in low quality soil of warmer climates requiring more petroleum-based fertilizer, or in perpetually warm regions with crop-killing bugs that are killed with insecticides.

I also promote this way of eating because it aligns our bodies with nature. It gives us appropriate, and health promoting aspects that aren’t always explained with a Nutrient Facts chart. It provides energy, qi, prana, vitality, which are all synonymous words from various systems of medicine.

In the spring time, budding leaves sprout from the ground leading to the small fruits of early summer. As the summer progresses, heavier fruits and vegetables start to become available. Early fall produces wonderful heavy squash that took all the heat of the summer to produce. But the the above-ground produce dwindle and the energy of the plant hibernates below the surface producing great root vegetables which can last all winter if stored properly.

Preparation of these foods should enhance the energy of the plant, making it easier for our bodies to acclimate to the weather outside. In the summer heat, it makes sense to eat mostly raw food because it is cooling to the body. But in the winter cold (which we will eventually get here in Buffalo) we want to add heat to dense foods to make them easier to digest and to give more warming energy to our bodies. This explains why most people naturally feel the urge to eat salads when it’s warm, but the mere thought of eating one in January when it’s 0 degrees Fahrenheit is very unappealing.

When we add in concepts of Traditional Chinese Medicine (and other systems such as Ayurveda that I am not as familiar with) we can understand this desire better. Raw food is very yin.  Winter is yin. If your body is already yin (think cold, wet soft), eating more yin foods can aggravate symptoms that you are experiencing, especially if you eat them in the winter. If you have a yang condition (think hot, dry, hard) eating mostly raw food in the winter may provide some benefit for a time, but your condition is fluid and your need to counteract yang doesn’t last forever.

If you are a healthy, well balanced individual, then eating according to the seasons is absolutely appropriate and will keep you healthy. If you are imbalanced energetically, eating a whole foods diet according to the seasons will also help to get you balanced. Like riding a wave in the ocean, following nature’s lead will get you much farther than opposing her actions.

Your body is made up of 10 trillion cells and 1-2 trillion are human. That means that 8-9 trillion are microbial and that most of you isn’t you! These “germs” act symbiotically, they keep our body strong and healthy. With fewer numbers (we’ll NEVER be germ free) bad things begin to happen, particularly to our immune system.

Without beneficial bacteria in our intestines, AKA probiotics, we can have immune system weakness like frequent infections, or immune system excess like allergies and autoimmune conditions. Even “parasites” give us protection from autoimmune conditions.

For example, take a walk through any hospital ward and look at the individual patient doors. Many of them will be marked “C Diff” which stands for Clostridium difficile, an infection with a type of bad bacteria that normally lives in our guts. When we take antibiotics, the good bacteria die off along with the bad, but the strongest and most resistant remain. We know that taking antibiotics can lead to colitis caused by C. diff.

Another example is the autoimmune condition known as Ankylosing Spondylitis is associated with Klebsiella infections outside of the colon. Klebsiella is another non-beneficial bacteria in our gut.

The more antibiotics we take, the more we weaken the fragile ecosystem in our gastrointestinal tract. The finely balanced system strengthens our immunity by strengthening our gastrointestinal tissue. (see the post on probiotics for more info) Unfortunately, you aren’t just hurting yourself by taking antibiotics, you are harming others.

There are definitely appropriate uses for antibiotics. But they are over-prescribed and often inappropriately prescribed. Every time a bacteria comes in contact with an antibacterial, the opportunity strengthens for them to mutate and become resistant to the drug. According to a study published in the journal Pediatrics, 23% of antibiotics are given for respiratory conditions for which they are not indicated.

But there is light at the end of the tunnel! Keeping our bodies healthy by getting regular exercise, exposure to fresh air and sunshine, and eating a whole food diet, especially if it includes fermented foods, will keep our immune systems strong so that no bacteria has a chance to cause damage. If you have a condition that needs more thorough recommendations for your specific condition, call your local Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine for an appointment to get your body back on track.

Soy is a subsidized crop, which means that farmers have a financial interest in growing soy over other crops such as fruits and vegetables. And companies like Monsanto, a company that owns almost all of the seed companies, have a financial interest in selling genetically modified soy beans to these farmers. What does all of that mean? We have an overabundance of genetically modified soybeans and we know that GM crops cause allergic reactions because the body doesn’t recognize it as real food.

So as other countries are starving, we have too much of soy. What happens to it? It gets bought by companies like ADM and Cargill who turn it into soy by-products that go into all of your processed, preserved and packaged foods. Even if you thought you didn’t eat soy, if you eat any of these foods, you are. They are all of the unpronounceable, unrecognizable ingredients (corn and soy are two foods that make up 90% of the ingredient list).

Let’s assume for a second that you don’t eat packaged food, and you always make sure that your soy is non-GM, how good is soy now? If you’re eating non-fermented, non-traditional soy, it’s not so good either. Non-fermented soy contains a component that blocks a digestive enzyme from your liver call trypsin. Trypsin is THE enzyme that activates all other digestive enzymes. So you won’t digest your food very well with many soy products.

OK, so now you make sure that your soy is organic, non-GMO and fermented (miso, tempeh and natto). Is soy good now? Sort of. There is some concern that eating too much soy can shut down your thyroid gland, which is a huge problem here in WNY. One way that traditionally arose to eat soy is with seaweed. Seaweed contains a plethora of minerals found in the sea, including iodine which you need to make thyroid hormone.

Bottom line: eating soy in moderation is good if you get fermented, non-GM soy and pair it with seaweed. It has some phytoestrogenic qualities which help to mitigate problems associated with excess estrogen (fibroids, endometriosis, cancers, etc.) and deficient estrogen (hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings). It is also a high protein source that can replace animal foods. But no one should eat any food all day, every day, including soy.

Did you know that flax oil is not therapeutically equivalent to fish oil? Here’s why: We can’t make Omega-3 oils, so we must consume them and fish oil contains EPA and DHA which are direct precursors to the eicosanoid molecule Prostaglandin E3 which decreases clotting, inflammation, cellular permeability, triglycerides and raises HDL.

On this biochemical path, alpha-linolenic acid (the oil in flax we are looking for) is also an Omega-3, but we must use finicky enzymes to convert it into EPA and DHA. These enzymes (delta 5 and delta 6 desaturase) don’t work well if 1) they have been exposed to trans fatty acids (fried food, hydrogenated oils) 2) there is insufficient Zinc, magnesium, Vitamin C, B6, B5, B3, Biotin or Vitamin E or 3) the person is of Northern European or Native American descent.

In addition, when flax oil is exposed to air or sunlight, it becomes linseed oil which is used to preserve wood and make linoleum. If you continue to use flax, always refrigerate and throw it away if there is any hint of rancidity.

Typically when we talk about EPA and DHA or essential fatty acids, we refer to them as fish oil. But what about vegans and vegetarians? I know of some companies that are making EPA and DHA from algae. Whew! Problem solved.

EPA and DHA are two molecules at the end of the eicosanoid pathway that lead to Prostaglandin E3 which is inflammatory modulating, clot preventative, triglyceride reducing and strengthens cell walls. Some conditions that are improved with this supplement are diabetes, cardiovascular disease, MS, arthritis, cancer, high blood pressure, skin conditions, depression/anxiety, allergies, etc. In addition, as my wonderful midwife explained to me, the foggy brain of pregnancy is caused by a DHA deficiency. That growing baby needs lots of DHA for healthy growth of the nervous system and it gets it all from momma!

Omega-3 fatty acid are essential, which means that the body cannot make them, so they must be consumed daily. And, as we shared yesterday, alpha-linolenic acid is NOT therapeutically equivalent to EPA and DHA. When I’m looking for a good supplement, I look for three things: 1) it has been made from smaller fish like sardines and herring 2) that it has been purified or filtered to remove toxins from the ocean like mercury, dioxins, PCBs, etc. 3) that it contains some antioxidant substance to prevent rancidity (Vitamin E, essential oils like rosemary, etc.)

There are a lot of decent products out there that meet those requirements, but if you get a fishy smell after taking it, the product is rancid. Companies that don’t use enough antioxidants in the formulation run the risk of damaging these sensitive oils when encapsulating them in gel that requires heat. Always keep your Omega 3s in the refrigerator or freezer, and consider liquid oil as an option.

My two favorite companies are Pure Encapsulations and Nordic Naturals. PE makes the Vegetarian EPA/DHA as well as some other great formulations like the one with glucosamine for joint health, or with CoQ10 for heart health. I’ve used all of their products successfully and have had very happy clients. But PE is a physician grade supplement and can be purchased through a qualified practitioner like myself, or, here in Buffalo can also be purchased at Pine Pharmacy. (I give great discounts to my clients on things I recommend)

Krill oil is another option. It is more expensive (more than double the price), usually comes in smaller caps, and is allegedly better for heart conditions. I’ve personally never recommended it because I see results with the fish oil. Any users of Krill out there?

Also, I had someone with a soy sensitivity tell me that they have been avoiding fish oils because many contain soy. While that may be true for some, PE’s EPA/DHA Essentials does not.

Lastly, Cod Liver Oil is another option and it also contains Vitamin D and A. However, it is not usually enough to compensate for a Vitamin D deficiency which almost everyone has.

I used to be the best sleeper. Then I had a baby and now my circadian rhythm seems to do jumping jacks throughout the day instead of the nice downward curve from morning ‘til night.

So now it’s 5:45 AM and I’m still not tired.

Which got me thinking about the Chinese Qi Time Flow.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), time is divided into two-hour blocks, each of which represent a different organ. Waking at a certain hour every night can mean that you have an imbalance in that particular organ.

Waking at 2 AM is not normal for me, but if it happened repeatedly, I would consider a Liver imbalance. An imbalance in the liver can present as anger, ailments of the tendons, nails or eyes, menstrual concerns, or even life plans. The liver houses the ethereal soul which influences life goals and finding a sense of direction. Liver actually encompasses 1 AM to 3 AM, so any time within that period could be a liver issue.

If you wake between 3 AM and 5 AM, then it is a lung imbalance. The lung governs Qi and respiration, controls blood vessels and dispersing of body fluids on the skin and down to the kidneys, regulates water passages, controls skin and hair and houses the corporeal soul. The corporeal soul is the most physical part of a soul and can be damaged by grief and sadness.

Do you wake up at the same time every night?

http://www.thermosonline.com/products/CSS1010.htm

I’m frequently asked about my favorite products and this is one I have to share.  My travel mug. I’ve had it for at least three years, maybe longer. I’ve dropped it a gajillion times, left it in both the frigid cold and blazing heat, and have probably abused it in other ways I cannot think of at the moment.  But it’s still solid, no visible damage and works great.

This morning I boiled some water and poured it in my cup to make tea at 6-6:30 am-ish. I went off for the day and left it in the car. I finally got it out of the car about 12:30 pm and still forgot to take a sip. Finally at 2:30 I drank my tea, anticipating it would be warmed up to at least room temp after sitting in the car at 20 degrees Fahrenheit for 6 hours. To my surprise, it was still warmer than room temperature.

My only complaint is that it is sometimes too effective. An hour after I pour boiling hot water into the mug, it’s still way too hot to drink. But, on days when I forget about it, I really do appreciate it.  Also, it stays warmer the fuller it is, so once I get it down to about half full I need to finish it fairly soon after that.

The mug itself is all steel inside and out, so no worries about plastic melting into my beverage or glass breaking every time I drop it. It is thoroughly insulated and impossible to burn your hands, unless you tip it too much and drip the scalding hot beverage on your hand.  The lid is a softer, rubbery plastic that sits in the mug without screwing on, which I don’t exactly care for, but at the time I wanted the best mug for the price and this was it.  They have other lids that are more effective at preventing spillage, but they cost a bit more. Now that I know the quality of my mug, I know I should have invested a few more dollars into a better lid, but I’m not giving up my perfectly adequate mug for a new one.

Thermos has been around for over 100 years and devoted to making quality products, so I’m not exactly sure why they don’t have a monopoly on all beverage containers. They have no BPA in their products either.

Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that live in your intestine. Our fear of bacteria is unnecessary because we are surrounded by these microorganisms and they live all over our body.  And we need them.  Throughout the lifetime of humanity, we have developed a symbiotic relationship with these little guys.

Probiotics live inside our intestines, or at least they should.  The problem is that we live in a society that doesn’t associate bacteria with the following benefits:

• Better absorption of nutrients and removal of wastes because probiotics maintain the integrity of our gastrointestinal wall.
• Fewer colds or flus and attacks of asthma or allergies because the majority of the immune system lives in our intestine
• Better mood control and sleep because the majority of serotonin and melotonin is made in our gut
• Better cholesterol numbers and a healthier hormonal balance thanks to the decrease of recirculated waste products in the lower small intestine.

Although many of you want the above to be true for you, some of you continue the following habits that either kill probiotic bacteria or promote the growth of detrimental bacteria:

• Absence of fermented foods from the diet, as well as an abundance of sterile food
• Excessive use of sugar
• Use of antibiotics that indiscriminately kill all bacteria
• Use of stomach acid reducers that allow detrimental organisms to pass through the stomach and into the intestine
• Chronic, unmitigated stress

How do you know that you have too few probiotic bacteria?

• Do you experience intense gas after eating beans or vegetables? Beans and vegetables contain oligosaccharides that feed probiotic bacteria. The gas you experience is due to a sudden increase in their numbers and a decrease in the detrimental bacteria - its war, and it feels like it.
• Chronic constipation or loose stools? Probiotics maintain the integrity of the gastrointestinal wall which means they keep the mucous and mucosal tissue healthy. If your bacteria are out of balance then you will improperly absorb water and nutrients leading to both constipation and loose stools.ne
• Any of the system weaknesses mentioned above: immune, hormonal, neurological?

Thankfully, decreasing the above bad habits and taking a probiotic supplement can get you back on track. Unfortunately, as with all supplements, there are many companies out there who are not sticklers for quality.  Culturelle and Align, two OTC products found in most pharmacies contain just slightly over half of the claimed numbers of probiotic bacteria. Even physician-grade supplement companies are not above shoddy products: Metagenics and Sedona Labs contained 10% and 21% respectively of the claimed numbers according to Consumer Labs.

Some products contain only lactobacillus acidophilus, or even worse, they contain a multitude of questionable bacteria. A good probiotic will contain a variety of tested strains that include lactobacillus for the small intestine, bifidobacterium for the large intestine and hopefully some saccharomyces boulardii which is a beneficial yeast that has very favorable research to back it up.

In addition, I’m a stickler for only the best supplements for my clients. If you are using a product that contains magnesium stearate, finish it up and do not replace it. Magnesium stearate is a hydrogenated fat used to lubricate the machines of low-quality supplement makers so they can produce even more low-quality supplements quickly. The problem is that it prevents the absorption of the components inside to about 1/4 the dose listed on the label.

If your interested in a more comprehensive and customized protocol for your individual needs, you can contact me by phone 716-908-2693 or email drjenwilliamson@gmail.com to schedule an appointment.

Doctors of Naturopathic Medicine are doctors trained at a four-year, post-graduate school designed to educate Naturopathic Physicians. But in New York State, we are not licensed as physicians. Our schools are accredited by the US Department of Education through the Council of Naturopathic Medical Education and through the regional accrediting agencies that accredit other schools of medicine.

Our education provides the necessary training to act as physicians in any of the licensed states and includes:

• Pharmacology
• Minor Surgery
• Laboratory Diagnosis
• Physical Examinations
• Injection therapies

However, the main point of going to a school of Naturopathic Medicine is to learn how to encourage healing within the body using natural therapies such as:

• Homeopathy
• Botanical medicine
• Nutrition and dietary supplements
• Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Naturopathic Manipulative Technique - a form of spinal manipulation
• Hydrotherapy
• Environmental Medicine
• Mind/Body Medicine

Why is all of that information important? Because in NYS I can only act as a consultant, not as the physician I was trained to be, and it is very difficult.  My clients come to me because they want help with using less invasive and suppressive methods.  Although I can make recommendations to them, my hands are tied when it comes to ordering labs or even performing a basic physical examination.  If someone comes to me with an ear infection, I’m not even allowed to look in their ear to see if the eardrum is intact. If I see that there labs are showing improvement, I cannot decrease their pharmaceutical dosage.

The worst part is that because we live across the river from Canada, many people will drive over the border to get naturopathic health care. In other parts of New York we also compete with Vermont and Connecticut.  So although we have competent naturopathic physicians working within the state, it is often more convenient for potential clients to leave the state so that they can get the comprehensive health care they want.

In addition, many naturopathic physicians choose to leave our state or not move back here at all because it is so difficult to practice.  While I attended naturopathic medical school I met at least 3 people who are from the area, but refuse to come back.  But there are six schools in North America.  We would definitely have a lot more return home if there was a license in place.

Assemblymember Deborah Glick denied our licensure efforts (almost a decade of trying) because she is not convinced of the safety and efficacy of the profession.  Yet the #1 killer in America is conventional medicine:  783,936 deaths each year are attributed to iatrogenic causes (a disease or death caused by the physician, or a therapy prescribed by a physician).  Where’s the ribbon for that?  Heart Disease is the next runner up with 699,697, followed by cancer with 553,251 deaths per year.   I guarantee we can do better than that.

Also, a license would increase safety through accountability for continuing education, as well as, the policing of Naturopathic Physicians.  There would be a medical examiners board to make sure that each doctor is practicing within the law and not harming people.  If Assemblymember Glick and the Higher Education Committee was really concerned with safety of their constituents, then instituting a license for NDs would be better.

As for efficacy, there a quite a few sources.  Unfortunately, there are few examples of naturopathy used as a whole system, but there are plenty of research studies on individual modalites.  Also, There is an ND in Vermont who instituted a wellness program for a collection of car dealerships.  His program showed that for every dollar spent by the company on this program, they saved $8.20 that they were losing through medical costs, absenteeism, presenteeism, and disability.  If it wasn’t effective, you wouldn’t see this kind of benefit.

And then there are individuals who could tell their stories about how they were helped by a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine. 

If you live in NY and have ever seen benefit from visiting a Naturopath who attended a residential, accredited program, whether it was here or elsewhere, then I urge you to please write a letter to Assemblymember Glick and her committee.  You can find out more about it through the NYANP and email them your letter here: http://mim.io/3c205?fe=1&pact=1612819671

We are a society that is afraid of fat, yet there are many signs that we are fat-deficient.  The supermarket shelves are packed with products that tout the terms low-fat or fat-free as if it is a good thing, but it is not. Essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins have been on our radar for the last 30 years, yet we can’t seem to get off this low-fat kick.

Eating good fat and oils does not make you fat.  Fat is a necessary component for brain development, nerve conduction, cell membrane stability, sterol and hormone production, inflammatory signaling chemicals, organ protection, and energy. Although a dietician sees that each gram of fat is 9 calories, this is based on a test tube reaction, not what actually happens in your body. Because your body uses fat for so many different essential functions, it does not translate to 9 calories of energy from each gram.

Fat makes things taste better and digest slower.  This is very important to emphasize because most people assume they can’t seem to fill up or be satisfied when they eat a lot of vegetables.  But this problem is usually due to a lack of dietary fats, or a high amount of associated carbohydrates.  For example, the idea that Chinese food (the junk served here in America, not what the Chinese actually eat) will leave you hungry within an hour of eating it is due to the high sugar content which causes your insulin to raise and your blood sugar to crash shortly after eating.  And, most people who eat salads choose the high fructose corn syrup infused dressings or ones that are just outright sugary, instead of sticking with a simple oil and vinegar or lemon.

The brain is 60% fat. I recently read a blog promoting a low-fat diet for pregnant women and babies and I cringed because babies’ brains grow so much in the first few years. This author claimed that because a mouse study found that birth defects were associated with a high fat diet (lard for herbivorous mice) that a low-fat diet would therefore decrease birth defects in humans. The brain doesn’t slow its growth until about 2 years of age, and babies who are breastfed during this critical time receive the necessary DHA and Arachidonic Acid from breast milk. The World Health Organization recommends that women breast feed for 2 years, but 2003 statistics (the most recent) show that less than 6% breast feed up to 18 months.

Without oils in the diet, you cannot properly absorb fat-soluble nutrients.  Vitamin A, D, E, K and carotenoids are fat-soluble, and Omega-3 fatty acids are essential and deficient in the Standard American Diet. Now think about the big supplement recommendations over the last 30 years: First there was Vitamin E, then Fish Oils, now D, which is leading up to K and A. We must now supplement nutrients because our diet no longer contains sufficient amounts, in addition to higher requirements due to medications, environmental toxins and our increasing knowledge of genetic polymorphisms.

Dietary ingestion of saturated fats and cholesterol is a mere fraction of what the body will make with excess insulin.  We already know that diabetics are more likely to die from cardiovascular disease because insulin creates cholesterol, blood triglycerides and stored fat, as well as the fact that excess blood glucose is oxidative and inflammatory.  We also know that people with heart disease who are put on a low fat diet are more likely to end up with diabetes.  Yet standard medical protocols insist on decreasing fats in the diet, then controlling the increase in cholesterol from the diet with statin drugs that block HMG Co-reductase, the enzyme that creates cholesterol and CoQ10. CoQ10 is a molecule that the body needs to convert sugar into usable energy on a cellular level.  In short, conventional medicine not only ignores the root cause of the #1 killer in America, cardiovascular disease, but its treatment also perpetuates the problem.

Here’s a diagram I made about the above:

Good fats to include in your diet should be a combination of the following; all of which would preferably organic and in glass containers:

• Polyunsaturated: wild oily fish such as Alaskan salmon, sardines, anchovies. Raw or dry roasted nuts and seeds, cold/expeller pressed oils from nuts and seeds - sesame, sunflower, safflower, walnut, almond, flax etc.  All must be refrigerated to prevent the Omega-3 fatty acids from becoming rancid
• Monounsaturated: extra virgin olive oil
• Saturated: avocado, coconut, organic butter or lard

Avoid the following fats:

• Corn, soy, canola and cottonseed - unless stated otherwise, the first three are usually genetically modified and all are sprayed with fat-soluble pesticides or herbicides
• Partially hydrogenated, Hydrogenated, Trans Fat, Margarine, and Vegetable Shortening are all the same thing and it is all bad for your body.
• Clear, flavorless, shelf-stable “vegetable oil” that usually comes in a plastic container.
• Farm raised fish, large fish such as tuna, fish oils that are not filtered or tested for PCBs and mercury, fish oils that do not contain Vitamin E or other such antioxidants to prevent rancidity.
• Conventionally raised animals and animal by-products. They are higher in fat-soluble toxins and have almost no essential fats.

In general, the recommended calories from fat should be about 30% of your daily caloric intake. However, if someone still has their gall bladder and is making adequate bile, there is no reason to count calories to limit good fats.  Your body will tell you when you have had enough by satiating your appetite and if you ignore your body you will have nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.  So, stop eating when you are full and eat more good fat!